June 8, 2018

A full-sized engineering model of the BepiColombo, the first ever spacecraft created by the European Space Agency to explore Mercury which is slated to launch in October, went on display at the Science Museum in South Kensington last month.

The more than six metre tall model – officially known as a Structural Thermal Model – was used to test the spacecraft’s resilience to launch vibrations and temperature extremes – as low as -190 degrees Celsius and as high as 400 degrees – during its seven year journey to Mercury.

The Airbus-built model consists of four main parts: Lower Handling Adaptor, the Mercury Transfer Module, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Sunshield.

The model features hand-stitched insulation blankets to protect the BepiColombo’s instruments and electronics from the Sun’s heat and a folded solar panel wing, one of three which will generate the craft’s electrical power.

The display also features an accompanying video with engineers and scientists talking about the craft.

The model is on show until after BepiColombo’s launch in October. The BepiColombo mission is a joint mission between the ESA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.